Spreading the Word
Adding a viral or refer-a-friend component to your email marketing campaign which encourage recipients of your message to pass the message along to their friends have gotten both positive and negative reviews from consumers, industry experts and privacy advocates. By cautiously using a viral approach to your message, you can avoid pessimistic reactions and gain an excellent return on investment as your subscribers help you reach a targeted group far past the original audience.
Below are five things to consider before you ask your subscribers to pass your message along.
1.) Offer Motivation
Viral marketing works best when a tangible value-added offer is included. You will want to consider capping the incentive with a specific quantity to avoid spam like spreading of your message. An example is to offer a 15 percent discount on the referrer’s next purchase if they forward the message to five friends. Incentives without a cap, such as five dollars off for every five friends referred are sure to cause customer service and privacy-related nightmares for your company.
2.) A Referral is Not an Opt-In
When your subscribers refer their friends, the referral should not be considered opted-in. Be sure to include an easy to find way for referrals to opt-in if they would like to receive future mailings.
3.) Personalize the Referral Email
Response rate increase radically when users can see that the message is coming from a friend. Consider personalizing the subject line to show that it is coming from a recognizable source. Your subject line may read: “Jane Smith Thought You Would Be Interested in 15% Off at ZZZ.com” by doing this, you have identified that it message has been sent by a friend and there is a special offer.
4.) Track Results
Tracking your results such as separate click-through and conversion rates by referrals and original customers will help you evaluate their individual campaign performance. The metrics you track will ultimately allow you to see which offers and which customers drive the best ROI.
5.) Promote Friendly Referrals
To ensure your message will be forwarded, place an offer for viral marketing offer in every pertinent email marketing message. Viral marketing makes a great one-time campaign, however it can also be an effective tool for expanding the touch of your messages over time.
Posted by MindComet on Jun. 19, 2006